“Had this man offered me his help I might have accepted it. Had he offered to forego his claim to this fortune I might have been impressed by his generosity. From you, whom God gave advantages of birth and education, and who utilized them to bring ruin and disaster on such men as my father, the offer is an insult!” Jimmy’s face was deadly pale, but he made no sign. Only his eyes shone brighter, and the hand that twisted the point of his beard twitched nervously. The girl turned to Angel wearily. Her outburst and the tension of the evening had exhausted her. “Will you take me home, Mr. Angel?” she said. She offered her hand to the lawyer, who had been an interested observer of the scene, and ignoring the two men, she turned to go. Then Jimmy spoke. “I do not attempt to excuse myself, Miss Kent,” he said evenly; “for my life and my acts I am unaccountable to man or woman. Your condemnation makes it neither easier nor harder to live my life. Your charity might have made a difference.” He held out a detaining hand, for Kathleen had gathered up her skirts to move away. “I have considered your question fairly. I am one of the men to whom your father owed his ruin, insomuch as I was one of Reale’s associates. I am _not_ one of the men, insomuch as I used my every endeavor to dissuade your father from taking the risks he took.” The humor of some recollection took hold of him, and a grim little smile came into his face. “You say I betrayed your father,” he said in the same quiet tone. “As a fact I betrayed Reale. I was at trouble to explain to your father the secret of Reale’s electric roulette table; I demonstrated the futility of risking another farthing.” He laughed. “I have said I would not excuse myself, and here I am pleading like a small boy, ‘If you please, it wasn’t me,’” he said a little impatiently; and then he added abruptly, “I will not detain you,” and walked away. He knew instinctively that she waited a moment hesitating for a reply, then he heard the rustle of her dress and knew she had gone. He stood looking upward to where the graven granite set marked the ashes of Reale, until her footsteps had died away and the lawyer’s voice broke the silence. “Now, Sir James----” he began, and Jimmy spun round with an oath, his face white with passion. “Jimmy,” he said in a harsh voice, “Jimmy is my name, and I want to hear no other, if you please.” Mr. Spedding, used as he was to the wayward phases of men, was a little startled at the effect of his words, and hastened to atone for his blunder. “I--I beg your pardon,” he said quickly. “I merely wished to say----” Jimmy did not wait to hear what he said, but turned upon Connor. “I’ve got a few words to say to you,” he said. His voice had gone back to its calm level, but there was a menace in its quietness.